St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1887-09-10

",lay 90 TO Miss IAlyvhiss's pezur
But Grandmamma shook her heod:
"When the birds 90 70 rest.
Think IT h best
For mine to 60 too" she saaA
Cast go 70 Miss Lilyvhi.s's p:syr
Sun Grandmamma shook her head:
~Dear child, tell me how.
You 70 hak asleep now;
Don't ask such . thing" she said
Then that little ones laughter grew hearty:
"Why, Granny" she said,
s0oing to Miss Lilyvhite's party
Means going to bed'''
-Gsorps Coop0. n a. E1eAsl0t
WlLliE'S ELEPHANT.
IT. Woaasrf.l Coassraesasa a.a Unsansay
Ead-A Sod CataserepAa.
A big old-fashioned farmhouse,
standing on shaded lawn. and coming
in at the driveway gate boy with
rosy ,eks and the proud conscious
ness 4 he has not lived in win. He
had b. IN at school. but somehow he
was not coming homo as early - might
have been. and he had in his heart .
little dread of his aunt Nancy; but she
only looked pleasant - II she remem-
bered boyhood days Of her own. and he
ate his supper and went out to do his
evening work.
But there was something on his
mind. Hitherto he had fed the chick
ems most leisurely. but tonight he pro-
ceeded with such unseemly haste that
they were obliged to swallow each ker-
mel whole; and he filed the wood-box
in . twinkling, and drove the COW 80
fast that she had no pleasure in liv-
ing. Then prudently omitting to ask
his aunt Nancy il she would like him
to do anything else. he hied
him to the cornfield and selected .
small and gorgeous pumpkin and bore
it to his den-a structure that he had
long before erected in secluded cor
ner Of the door-yard fence. Then he
gathered up his aunt Nancy's clothes
pole and a long stick that leaned against
. plum-tree. and adding them to his
store went up into the attic over the
wood-shed and possessed himself Of
two horns that once graced the head Of
m ox-dead now and forgotten. These,
with . darning-needle and goodly
bunch Of twine, and later, in the dark
ness. i've armfuls Of hay. he added to
the general fund. and then. going to
bed. slept the sleep Of the well-satisfied.
At school. this Friday afternoon. the
teacher had read aloud to her geogra-
ply class little story Of . tiger-hunt in
India. and had shown them . picture Of
. native. standing in state by the side
Of an elephant arrayed in al the
trappings of war. Now this
elephant had taken firm
hold Of Willie, the boy going home to
the farmhouse, and the moment school
was dismissed he gathered together
four of his school-mates. and taking
them of to the beech-tree by the road
side. unfolded to them . magnificent
plan.
Tomorrow would be Saturday, he
said. and Aunt Nancy was going away.
and wouldn't be back till dark. and
the boys must come over to his house,
and they would make IN elephant
Not . real hesh-and-blood elephant, he
was pleased to explain. but something
that should look like one, and that
could climb trees He had been think
ing about it ever since the geography
class recited. he said. and he knew Just
how to do it-all but the head; he
conldn't think Of any way to make the
head.
The boys accepted the invitstion. but
they sat so long building in fancy the
wondrous beast, that as Willie went up
the driveway his shadow lay out long
behind him. drawn by the setting sun.
On Saturday mornings Willie might
sleep rs long as he liked. but this Sat-
urday morning he arose betimes. and
began to wait for the afternoon. It
camel am told that all things come
to him who waits-and Aunt Nancy
went away for her visit Willie. finish
ing his last after-dinner task. saw the
boys coming in at the gate. He went
to meet them. and forthwith the ele-
phant was in the midst Of being pre-
pared
They made his body first laying Will
lies two poles parallel and some three
feet apart and resting them at one end
on board Of the fence and at the 9TH
er on . saw-hOrse. Then they laid
across them some shorter sticks. and
upon these just hay enough to make
him look well fed and respectable. and
covered him over with Aunt Nancy's
brown blanket which made for him .
worthy and durable skin. Then ut the
front Of him they placed IN ox-horn on
the end of each pole; but he
looked too broad-chested, and they
drew those ends Of the poles
nearer together. COMPRISING his
lungs l fear. Besides the
clothes-pole branched out At The end
into two prongs 20 that one Of the
horns turned OF sidewise. making the
poor creature look cross-eyed
This part Of him was simple, but the
head required thought Willie had
spent sleepless hours that forenoon
planning it. and now he drew out into
view phosphate sack. A phosphate
sack carries an odious smell. but the
boys said they did not mind txihe like
that, and soon Willie had cut round
hole in the bag and sewed into The hole
with his needle and twine . piecs ol
last nights pumpkin. This was IN
eye. but the boys were shocked ct its
Gze. and he made the other one small;
and the canvass fringsd out - be
a>~n1 IL and .Hnrvnn6 ~~>n>e,,l